Manly Wade Wellman wrote dozens of stories for Weird Tales but the stories about John Thunstone, battler of the powers of darkness, are my particular favorites. The John Thunstone stories explore voodoo, as in “The Third Cry to Legba,” and curses, demons, black magic, and things that go bump in the night. Many of the Thunstone tales have a Lovecraft twist to them. The Necronomicon shows up in one of the stories, for example. Night Shade Books collected all the John Thunstone stories in Volume One (of Five) of the Collected Stories of Manly Wade Wellman. Later, Wellman wrote two novels about Thunstone and his battle against the forces of darkness: What Dreams May Come (1982) and School of Darkness (1985). Both novels are well worth reading. It goes without saying that the John Thunstone stories from Weird Tales hold up after more than 60 years.
Other FORGOTTEN BOOKS can be found by clicking on the links below. If I’ve inadvertently left you off the list, send me a comment and I’ll make it right. Patti will be doing the SUMMING UP sans the cheerleaders.
Paul Bishop
David Cranmer
Bill Crider
Martin Edwards
Ed Gorman
Randy Johnson
Patrick Lennon
Evan Lewis
Steve Lewis
Todd Mason
James Reasoner
Richard Robinson
Kerrie Smith
Patti Abbott
BV Lawson
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